Dancing Dragons in London: The Art of Getting Lost

Adventures of this week and weekend included taking a short trip over to Annie Parker’s home from The Parent Trap, located in South Kensington, on the most expensive street in London, Egerton Terrace.

On the way home, we stopped at Wafflemeister for some gelato and waffles, personalized with gelato flavor and toppings; these are definitely worth the try.

On Saturday, we ventured over to Notting Hill to see the Portobello Markets as well as a few famous sights from the late 90’s Rom-Com, Notting Hill, including Hugh Grant’s flat and the travel bookshop where the characters met.

The market spanning the entirety of Portobello road is chalk full of antiques and craft goods, as well as food and drink of every kind. It’s almost impossible not to let one of the jewelers sell you a ring off the street, or to avoid at least trying one of the international or sweet foods. The colorful homes lining every road add another element of character to the already bustling and quirky neighborhood.

On Sunday, we took another walk through Hyde Park to find the Kensington Gardens next to Kensington Palace. It was a bit of struggle to transport there because, yet again, Google maps let us down. On our way we stumbled upon the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and an architectural art installment. We walked from the Albert Memorial, where we could see Royal Albert Hall, and down the flower walk to get to the Palace. It was much plainer than I imagined it to be. The gardens, however, were enchanting and quite peaceful. The sound of the fountains made it a quiet spot to sit and reflect on being in London and gaining so much freedom to create and grow as artists.

We then strolled over to the United States Embassy. At the opposite end of the park lies the September 11th Memorial. We sat here for a while to look at the variety of flowers, all holding special meaning to the memorial. I got chills from reading the plaque and the mantle engravings, honoring every human affected by this day.

Having the privilege to explore another country and get lost in beautiful greenery while still being in class has given me multitudes of inspiration from which to write. For me, writing reflection about my days helps me develop any work in which I am invested.

Another day after class, we went to Camdentown. Camden is another quirky area lined with vintage clothing shops, some name brands, delicious food, and craft goods. I ate the best pasta of my life, and potentially the best meal of my entire life at Camden Markets (a very heavy statement coming from a girl with a very Italian grandmother.)

This pasta was black truffle tortelloni with a truffle cream sauce. I wish I had the adequate words to describe its heavenly flavors.

Even though I was very satisfied from this meal, I had to try the nitro ice cream from Chin Chin, right across from La Tua Pasta.

This was more chocolaty than creamy (my favorite) and paired perfectly with the honeycomb.

If there’s anything I like to do more than dance, it might be eating, so being in London is truly fulfilling my every dream.